ephemeral |o. dazai|

VI

"Ah, today was productive!" Dazai didn't do a single productive thing that entire day and Kunikida reminded him of that fact with a defeated utterance that the brunet detective simply laughed off in response.

"Are you heading out?" [Name] asked, looking up at him with a wide grin. "Wanna walk me home while you're at it?" Dazai raised a brow. She had been out of it since she got back from the home visits. Noticing his confused look, [Name] pouted. "Come on, don't give me that look. It's for old time's sake!" She tugged on his sleeve, trying to drag him out of his seat. Dazai stared up at her, frowning. What brought this on? He knew if he probably wouldn't get a straight answer if he asked, so instead he smiled widely.

"Well, I suppose it has been a while!"

The two walked in a suffocating silence. The sun had long set and the icy winter winds enveloped them. Dazai supposed he would wait for [Name] to give some excuse or another, but she didn't even try to explain herself. Instead, she occupied herself with the floor, trying to avoid all the cracks in the broken concrete, humming a tune as she did so. As the two turned the corner, [Name] paused, causing Dazai to turn to look at what she was staring at.

"The lights shouldn't be on, should they?" Dazai asked with confusion, as [Name] took a few cautious steps towards her door. She turned the already ajar door, standing at the entrance. The dark hallway was only illuminated by the moonlight outside. For the most part, the hallway was how Dazai remembered it, except something on the drawer. She quickly rushed towards it, Dazai quietly following behind her. She pulled the metal box he caught glimpse of previously off the trinket tray, opening it and pulling out a small handgun. His brown gaze quickly scanned the contents of the box, noticing some razors with dried blood and an old dog tag. Before Dazai could make out the faded letters etched into it, [Name] had slammed the box shut and was quickly heading up the stairs.

As Dazai followed her up, he heard a loud smash of glass and [Name] screamed out a hasty 'wait!'. She ran into her room, Dazai following close behind her as she leaned out her broken window, the glass digging into her hands and the soles of her feet and drawing blood, not that she paid much attention to it. She kissed her teeth as Dazai gazed out the window. There wasn't anyone on the street below.

[Name] suddenly turned around, giving Dazai a wide grin. "A sleepover sounds fun, doesn't it, sir?" The man narrowed his eyes; surely she wasn't being serious? Noticing his hesitance, [Name] pouted. "Don't be like that, we've spent the night together before!"

"Well yeah, for missions. Shouldn't you call the police?" [Name] frowned, shaking her head. "You really should."

"I've tried. They didn't really do anything about it." Dazai sighed. Something told him that she knew more about this breaking and entering than she was saying.

Dazai gave [Name] an assuring smile. "Fine." Her look of shock made him chuckle a bit. "I can't let you stay here where you might be in danger. What sort of former boss would I be?" As [Name] opened her mouth to thank him, Dazai put a hand up, pausing her. "Of course in return, you need to tell me what's going on; its only fair, right?"

The two sat awkwardly in the Agency dorms, and Dazai watched her scratch the insides of her wrist, darting her eyes around the bare dorm. She quickly glanced at him, her [eye colour] pools reluctantly boring into his chocolate ones. "Are you going to tell me who was at your house?" He watched her shift uncomfortably, taking a deep breath.

"Those two years really passed like a blur, huh?" Her voice came out as tired and strained with a sleepy smile. He watched her try to compose herself, her head tilting down so she was staring at her lap with a bitter smile. "There's not much to it. I left the mafia, I hooked up with this guy and he hasn't stopped following me since. I reported him to the police before but they couldn't do much about it apparently." [Name] offered a half-hearted shrug and her head suddenly snapped back up to look at him, a wide, saccharine smile on her lips. "But oh well, right?"

A tense silence lingered over the two as Dazai thought carefully about his next question. This would be the best time to ask her questions, she seemed compliant to answer, but if he asked the wrong one, there was a possibility she would recoil again. "Why did you leave the mafia?" Dazai's gentle and delicate whisper seemed to catch her off guard as her grin falter a bit.

"Why did I leave?" [Name] murmured to herself. "Well, I suppose because it hurt to stay. The mafia isn't for those with a conscience, you know." That was a half lie.

"Be honest, [Name]." His voice came out angrier than intended and the woman opposite's smile slipped off her face.

"I--" she hid her mouth behind her sleeve, looking away briefly, "there are a lot of reasons."

"Well, it's a good thing we have all night, then, isn't it?"

"I didn't belong in the mafia, you know that." That was honest. But it surprised the detective. Sure, she wouldn't listen to what she was told, especially when it came to paperwork, but when push came to shove, her brutality played a major part in Dazai's squad's reputation. [Name] suddenly scoffed. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"Like you don't have a single clue what I'm talking about."

"But I don't."

"Oh, please." She was getting angry? "You want to tell me you thought I was a good member in the mafia? You really want me to believe that a person like me belonged in a place like that?"

"You don't think so?"

"No, I don't. Why would I?"

"Why not?"

There was a small pause. [Name] hesitated. "I knew asking you to let me stay the night would be a bad idea." She began getting up, and Dazai let out a disheartened whine, asking her to stay a little longer. Reluctantly, she took a seat again, further away than she was before. Dazai frowned at the distance, watching her turn to face the wall as she lied down.

"Do you want to eat anything?" Silence. "[Name]?"

"I'm okay," she mumbled.  The silence gave him time to think.

His thoughts trailed back to the box and the odd placing of it. Why did the intruder go to the effort to take the box out of its place and leaving it in the front. "What was that box?"

"Nothing important." He frowned at [Name]'s dismissive response before looking away. Dazai wasn't going to get any clear answers from her anymore, it seemed.

☁︎
is anyone still reading this lmao?